How to Recover Deleted Game Files/Steam Data/Game Saves on PC

Unfortunately, once the uninstaller closed, it's likely that the files were permanently deleted, making it difficult to recover them without reinstalling each game. However, you can try using data recovery software such as Recuva or Deep Data Recovery Wizard to scan your computer for any remaining files, but the success rate is low. It's also worth checking your Recycle Bin and any backup drives for any remaining files. If you have a backup of your "Games" folder, you can restore it from there. Otherwise, you may need to reinstall each game, which could be a time-consuming process.

Many people spend their free time playing video games on computers, but there's a risk of data loss and users have reported various factors that can cause game files to fail on hard drives at any time.

Your game files may be gone from your computer, but they're still saved in their original location. If you stop writing data to the hard drive where you stored the game files before, you can recover deleted game files on PC by following the steps outlined in this guide.

Why Game Files, Steam Data, or Game Saves Lost

Game files can be lost due to system problems, malware, or accidental deletion, resulting in permanent loss. Uninstalling unused games can free up disk space, but be cautious not to delete important files. If game files are lost, consider reinstalling from the original source or seeking a backup if available.

• Steam games are still visible in the Game Library, but their names are grayed out, indicating that the files may be present but Steam can't find the game.
• To recover your deleted video game files on Windows, you can try using a file recovery software such as Deep Data Recovery Wizard or Recuva. These tools can scan your hard drive for deleted files and allow you to recover them.
• The blue screen of death (BSOD) in Windows results in data loss when it encounters a catastrophic error, typically causing game data to be lost.
• After a game's update or patch, it may crash due to bugs or incompatibilities, leading to missing game files.

To figure out why you lost your game, check the situations listed above. Once you've identified the issue, you can learn how to recover deleted game files on a PC by reading the following parts. This will help you restore your game and get back to playing.

Recover Deleted Games on PC Using Software (Recommended)

Professional data recovery software is the most recommended solution to restore lost Steam game files. Whether you have a game file backup, you can quickly recover your game saves on your PC.

The Qiling Data Recovery Wizard software is designed to recover damaged, corrupted, or missing game files, providing a straightforward and comprehensive way to restore deleted files due to unexpected errors, system failures, and other issues.

You can restore deleted games saved on your PC in three simple steps.

Step 1. Select a location and start scanning

Launch Qiling Data Recovery Wizard, hover on the partition/drive where the deleted files were stored, and click "Scan" to find lost files.

Step 2. Select the files you want to recover

After scanning is complete, select the deleted files you want to recover. You can filter the results to show only specific file types, or search for a file by name in the "Search files or folders" box, which can be the quickest way to find the target file.

Step 3. Preview and recover deleted files

Preview the recoverable files, select the desired files, and click "Recover" to move them to a new location, bypassing the original lost disk.

Restore Deleted Games on PC from the Recycle Bin

When a file is deleted, it moves to the Recycle Bin, giving you a chance to recover it if you change your mind.

What you ought to do is:

Step 1. Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on the Desktop.

Step 2. The deleted game file remains in the Recycle Bin window once it opens, which means it was successfully moved there. This indicates that the deletion process was completed, and the file is now stored in the Recycle Bin for further handling.

Step 3. If the file is still available, you can restore it by right-clicking on it and choosing the Restore option.

Step 4. The saved game file should be restored to its original location, instantly and without any user intervention.

Deleting files with the Shift key in Windows 11 permanently removes them from the hard disk directory, making recovery more difficult. If you need to recover Shift deleted files, visit the linked page for solutions.

Recover Lost Game Files from the Game Library

Your Steam games' names are grayed out, but you can still access them, possibly due to a file issue where Steam can't locate the game.

The places where game data is saved can vary between games, making it difficult to retrieve deleted data. However, for Steam games, it's possible to recover deleted data by following specific steps.

Step 1. Launch Steam on your device and select "Library".

Step 2. Locate the name of the misplaced game, such as Dota 2, in the left panel, right-click on it, and choose "Properties."

Step 3. Click "local files" from the Properties window's drop-down menu.

After completing the steps, you can reopen the game to see if the deleted data has been recovered.

Recover the Game Saves via Steam Menu

You can try this method if your games are still problematic on Steam. The short process will determine if any files are missing.

Step 1. Open Steam and navigate to the Library on your device.

Step 2. Right-click on the name of the Hogwarts Legacy that is missing on the left side and select "Properties."

Step 3. Verify the game files' integrity by clicking "local files" and selecting it from the Properties window's drop-down menu.

Step 4. After completing the procedures, you can try launching the game once again to see if the lost game data has been restored.

You can restore lost saves by deleting the "sav." files. To do this, follow these steps:

Step 1. Exit the game and the Steam client.

Step 2. Navigate to the saved games directory at %localappdata%[Game Name]/Saved/SaveGames.

Step 3. The folder whose name consists of a string of numbers is the one you should choose.

Step 4. Delete the file SaveGameList.sav

Step 5. Relaunch the Steam client and launch the game.

Restore Lost Game Data from the Steam Backup

Making backups of your games can be a farsighted option. If you lose game data, backups can be used to restore it. The steps to restore lost game data from Steam backups are listed below.

Step 1. Navigate to "Steam" - "Backup and Restore Games".

Step 2. To restore a prior backup, select the "Restore a Prior Backup" option. This allows you to recover your system from a previously saved state. Alternatively, you can create a new backup by selecting the "Make a New Backup" option, which we will discuss in more detail shortly.

Step 3. To recover a game on Steam, you need to locate the game you wish to recover and choose the "Browse" option. Then, navigate to the Steam backups directory to find your game. This will allow you to restore your game to its previous state.

Step 4. Choose "Next."

Step 5. Reinstall your game by following the directions that appear on the screen.

Conclusion

If you've never created a file backup or history, you can also use Qiling Data Recovery Wizard to retrieve your lost files. Nevertheless, try to recover files from Recycle Bin or backup.

• Download for Win
• Recovery Rate 99.7%

• Download for Mac
• Trustpilot Rating 4.7

A professional backup tool like Qiling Data Backup can securely back up files to various storage devices and cloud services, protecting your data from potential threats and ensuring its safety.

Recover Deleted Game Files on PC FAQs

If you've learned how to recover deleted game files on your PC, you might have some follow-up questions. Let's see if we can address them here.

1. How do I recover permanently deleted games from my Xbox?

Recovering data from an Xbox One is complex, but feasible with the Qiling Data Recovery Wizard, especially if the device is not encrypted. This application can effectively recover permanently deleted or lost saved game files on the Xbox One hard drive as long as there is no data overwriting.

2. How to recover games using System Restore?

This system only works if a System Restore Point has already been created, so if that's not possible, consider the alternative methods mentioned.

To use System Restore to recover deleted games, follow these steps: System Restore is a built-in Windows feature that allows you to roll back your computer to a previous point in time when the games were still installed. To use it, go to the Start menu, type "System Restore" in the search bar, and select the "Create a restore point" option.

• To create a Restore point, click on the Start button and then click on the search icon. In the search bar, type "System Restore" and press Enter.
• To restore your deleted game, select the System Restore point where the game is stored from the list of available points.
• To finish the process, click Next and follow the on-screen instructions.

3. How to restore lost game files from PS4?

Using file recovery software can be a efficient approach to retrieving deleted game data on a PS4, as long as the hard drive is not encrypted, allowing you to recover lost game installation packs, captures, or videos.

4. Why is my game save progress lost?

When launching Hogwarts Legacy on Steam, users may encounter a notification about potential save file discrepancies between their local files and those stored in the Steam Cloud. This prompts a choice between accessing local files or the cloud, due to incompatibility between the two.

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